Prevent Plumbing Clogs & Repairs
Do you want to avoid expensive plumbing repairs in your home or building? Here are 5 easy tips to minimize plumbing problems.
Garbage Disposal Clogs:
Do not follow garbage disposal instructions, and put just about anything down the garbage disposal. Why? Because the average kitchen sink drain is 1 ½” in diameter, maybe 2”, if you are lucky. Then the garbage disposal line ties into the kitchen drain with an opening that is only half as wide. So it does not take a great deal of kitchen waste to clog up a half moon opening, even if you are really careful.
Toilet Clogs:
Do not flush ANYTHING down a toilet except for toilet paper. The so-called “Flushable Wipes” are NOT flushable. Probably the person who invented this product owns a plumbing company and needs extra work. Keep in mind that plumbing sewer lines are made so that no one can see them, and may not be a straight line out to the sewer with zero bends or turns. If you flush feminine products or “Flushable Wipes”, a damming effect can occur if one object does not clear a turn or catches on a belly or defect in the line.
Tub Clogs:
Compared to a monkey, most humans do not have much hair. In fact, we appear to be nearly hairless, in comparison. But tell your tub and shower drains that! It will not believe you. Remove the pop-up closures in the tub/shower drains, and add a small wire mesh basket to catch the hair before it washes down the drain. Use an old style rubber stopper, if you need to take a bath. This avoids having to call the plumber to fish that giant ball of hair out of the line. Again, the bath/tub drain is about 2 inches wide, with turns and bends until it connects into the main sewer line, wherever that may be!
Buy Durable Faucets:
When you go to the local hardware store to purchase your own kitchen or bathroom faucet, do not buy the cheapest on the market. To keep prices down, most manufacturers make some of the components out of plastic. Not only parts like the spout and the base, but also the internal parts (the moving parts) are often made of plastic. The best faucets have internal parts (the little moving rings or gears that allow the fixture to turn) made out of ceramic. Ceramic is much more durable than plastic.
Know Where & How To Shut Off Water Valves:
Know how to shut off the water to your home. There are little water shut-off valves near each fixture. One at each toilet, and 2 or more under the kitchen sink. These little valves are places where you can turn the water off to each fixture, unless it is so old that it is frozen into an “Open” setting. Ideally you want these to be in good working order, but many homeowners do not pay much attention to them. (It is easy to ignore). The simplest way to shut off the water to your house is to find the main water shut-off valve, most likely to be near the front of your home. Hopefully you have the kind that is called a “ball valve” which turns off, and on with a simple quarter turn. When the arm is in line with the pipe, it is open. When the arm is perpendicular to the pipe, it is closed. If you are going to be away from your home for an extended period of time, it is a good idea to turn the water off here so you will not have any flooding surprises when you return home.
These easy to do, preventive maintenance steps will help to minimize those plumbing calls. Should you need the expertise of a plumber, then call the trusted Coast View Plumbing team at (714) 957-4087.
Thank you for your readership and input. We try to help people minimize plumber visits as much as we can.
Best Regards,
Your Coast View Plumbing Team!